Coach Profile: Tim (Slydog) Slyfield

Tim is University Judo Club’s best looking instructor. He is not as old, grey and generally crusty as Rick and Dave, nor is he fat like Ben and does not have cauliflower ears like Rob. Aside from being good looking Tim was once a formidable international player winning a Commonwealth Games Bronze Medal at the Manchester Games in 2002 and represented New Zealand at the 2004 Sydney Olympics. Tim spent his twenties and early thirties living, training and competing internationally and his experience in both Japan and Europe has earned him a 3rd Degree Black Belt.

Tim’s area of specialty is stand up Judo and he has four master class ( dai sensai shihan kanjo - 1st Order of Judo Mastery for Prodigious Study and Most Empowering Efforts) level techniques:
• Tai otoshi - body drop throw.
• Kiai - a loud shout made by a player to take advantage of the fact that their opponent has tripped over or slipped, the shout is designed to convince the referee that the opponent fell because of something the shouter had done rather than because their own clumsiness.
• The pistol grip - While currently illegal this grip was legal last century when Tim was at his prime and he is a master of this devilish ‘Euro – Judo’ technique.
• Lying on the ground and crying for mummy while Rob teaches him about ground fighting - While seldom enticed to the ground for real Judo, Tim has learnt a range of useful techniques to deal with the unpleasantness of ground fighting generally relying on crying for Mummy, looking at the referee imploringly and scuttling for the sideline as quickly as possible.

In summary, Tim is an asset to the University Judo Club. Amongst a nest of Kosen Judo trained masochists who revel in the grim reality of ground fighting he is a ‘little ray of sunshine’ dancing gracefully across the mat using his tai otoshi to defeat opponents steadfastly avoiding ground fighting. Rather than ‘ground and pound’ he is ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and which provides balance within the club and complements the other instructor’s areas of expertise.